A Brodie's abscess of femoral neck mimicking Osteoid osteoma: Diagnostic approach and management strategy

BACKGROUND: Brodie's abscess usually presents as a diagnostic dilemma resulting in a diagnostic delay. It mimics various benign and malignant conditions both clinically and radiologically.CASE DETAILS: This report describes a case of a 14 year old boy who presented with a clinical and radiological picture of osteoid osteoma of proximal femur but found to have a brodie's abscess on histology and culture.CONCLUSION: It describes the clinical spectrum of subacute osteomyelitis, its unusual MRI features and the importance of obtaining a histological diagnosis before definitive treatment.KEYWORDS: Brodie's abscess; osteoid osteoma; bone tumour mimicker